The GSS Steward is one of the first ships in the Galactic Federation to welcome members of the latest species to join its crew: Humans. The newcomers quickly draw the attention of several more experienced Steward crew members for their peculiarities. As with any new species joining the Galactic Community, Humans are watched closely; observations are conducted, and reports are filed, but all seem to fall short of capturing just how scrappy, resourceful, and gifted with a strange knack for interspecies communication Humans seem to be. As if integrating a new species into the crew wasn’t enough, the GSS Steward’s crew finds itself caught in a strange mystery involving the far-flung space station Horizon’s Watch, the last known post of the GSS Emerald Sky, a now-missing Galactic Federation ship. A dear client commissioned Mission Critical through Fiverr, and it was both a request and a challenge to bring several elements present in the popular memes about humanity’s interactions with other alien species and what makes us unique into a narrative. They graciously allowed me to share it.